Entertainment · Books & Arts · 3 hrs ago
Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre Prepares to Mark Its 100th Year
The Florida Theatre in Jacksonville will turn 100 next year, marking a century since it opened in 1927.
The former movie palace is now owned by the City of Jacksonville and the nonprofit Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center.
It was the largest movie palace in Florida when it opened, and it is the only one of six movie houses once on Forsyth Street that still stands.
During renovations in 2020, the theatre replaced many seats but restored two balcony seats linked to a ghost called J.
Staff and paranormal specialists have described sightings and other strange activity around one of the seats, though theatre president Kevin Stone says he cannot confirm those accounts.
The venue gets requests to book the so-called ghost seats and charges a small premium for them.
The theatre’s centennial is next year, but the sources do not give details of planned celebrations.
The Florida Theatre in Jacksonville is preparing to mark its 100th year in 2027.
The theater opened in 1927 and was the largest movie palace in Florida at the time.
It is the only one of six movie houses that once stood along Forsyth Street still standing.
Renovations in 2020 brought new lighting, sound and video systems, and new seats.
Two balcony seats were restored instead of replaced because of their association with a reported ghost known as J.
- Who
- The Florida Theatre in Jacksonville.
- What
- The historic theater is preparing to mark its 100th year.
- When
- In 2027, 100 years after it opened in 1927.
- Where
- Jacksonville, Florida, at the corner of Forsyth and Newman Streets.
- Why
- The theater is approaching its centennial.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Florida Theatre opened as the largest movie palace in Florida.
The theater used the touring shutdown to carry out renovations, including new lighting, sound and video systems and replacement seats.
The Florida Theatre is due to mark its 100th year.
- Opening year
- 1927
- Centennial year
- 2027
- Seating capacity
- 1,900 seats
- Renovation
- Summer 2020
- Ghost seat
- Section 500, Row E, Seat 2
What people are saying
A lot of times when I’m in the theater, there’s only one seat that’s ever up, and it’s always the ghost seat.
There’s not a big sign [that] says ‘Ghost’ or ‘Beware of Ghost.’ It’s just, if you know, you know.
I can’t confirm or deny truth in that, but every now and then you get somebody who has a little feeling that there might be somebody there.